


Rescue

by sgtcalhouns



Category: Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-08-20 07:51:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgtcalhouns/pseuds/sgtcalhouns
Summary: Turbo is back, and his plot for revenge involves reincarnating a demon from Tamora's past.





	1. Chapter 1

Felix struggled against his bindings, fighting through the pain in his shoulders. His arms were chained to the wall, and the ropes that were tied around his ankles forced him to remain on his knees on the cold, hard floor. He had yet to figure out which game he was in–the room was dark and damp and unlike anything he had seen before. He chose not to dwell on the matter, as he didn’t have much time. His captor had left the room, giving him a limited window of opportunity to escape. As he made yet another attempt to pull himself free, a bit of movement caught his eye. His heart constricted as both relief and dread flooded his system at the sight of his wife.

“Tammy!” he whispered, hoping to get her attention as quietly as possible.

“Felix?” she replied, and he winced at the volume of her voice. “What happened? Who did this to you?”

Within seconds she was kneeling at his side, examining the ropes and chains in which he was bound. 

“Shh, you have to be quiet,” he explained, his voice low. “They’ll hear you.”

“Who?” she asked, her tone serious. “What is going on here?”

“It’s a long story, and there’s no time to explain it all,” he said. “Somehow, Turbo is back and he captured me and brought me here. He must’ve knocked me unconscious, because I don’t remember any of it.”

“But why?” she asked. “What does he want?”

“I don’t know, exactly. I only managed to overhear part of his plan,” he said. “That’s why you need to get out of here right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere, not until I get you out.”

“Tammy, you have to listen to me,” he said, a hint of desperation in his voice. “This whole thing is a trap. It’s not really me he’s after. It’s you.”

“What?” she asked, stunned by this news. “Why?”

“He’s got a partner,” he replied, hoping to answer her question as vaguely as possible. “Someone who’s obsessed with you. Their plan is to capture you when you come to rescue me.”

“Who is it?” she asked. “Who’s this partner?”

“Turbo built him out of fragments of code from Hero’s Duty,” Felix answered, still avoiding a direct answer. 

“Built who?” she asked, growing frustrated with the way he was beating around the bush. She could tell he was keeping something from her. “Answer me, Felix.”

Just then, they heard the sound of his captors’ voices from an adjoining room.

“Any minute now the sergeant will be here to come to the rescue,” Turbo said. “Then, victory will be ours.”

“And I’ll have my dynamite gal.”

Tamora froze, and Felix’s heart broke for her as she recognized that voice–one she never thought she would hear again. She looked at Felix, the question she was too afraid to ask burning in her eyes. He nodded sadly.

“Tammy, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I didn’t want you to know, I… I know what you must be feeling right now.”

“Why would he do this?” she asked quietly, more to herself than to Felix. “Of all the partners in the arcade, why would he recreate–”

She paused, unable to utter his name.

“Turbo doesn’t work well with others. He wanted someone with no memories of what he’s done to the arcade in the past,” Felix explained. “But this isn’t the man you knew. He looks the same, but there’s something wrong about him. Like his mind’s not all there.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“It’s like he doesn’t have any emotions. When he was in here earlier, his face was completely blank until Turbo said your name,” he said. “Turbo must’ve meddled with the code somehow, because _all_ he cares about is you.”

“I have to get you out of here,” she said, reaching for the chains that kept him in place.

“There’s not enough time, they’ll be back any minute,” he said. “If they catch you trying to break me out of here, we’ll be giving them exactly what they want.”

“I am not going to leave you chained up in a dungeon with that lunatic,” she said.

“Tammy, please, you have to go,” he pleaded with her. “Turbo knows what he’s doing. He knows that he’s digging right into your worst memories by doing this, and he knows you would do anything to keep me safe. The second he finds you here, he’ll make you carry out whatever plan he’s set in motion, and if you don’t, he’ll hurt me. I can’t put you in that position.”

“Well, I can’t walk out of here without you.”

“I’ll be alright. They won’t do anything to hurt me until they have the chance to do it in front of you,” he said. “Go find Ralph, I’m sure you two can come up with a plan to stop him. And make sure Vanellope’s safe. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s his next target.”

“Okay,” she replied, although she hesitated to leave him. “But I’m coming back for you.”

“I know you are,” he said, giving her a small, encouraging smile.

She stood to go.

“Oh, and Tammy?”

She turned back and knelt down in front of Felix.

“I love you,” he said, looking straight into her eyes. “I don’t know what Turbo is capable of–maybe there’s another me up there somewhere–but I need you to know that there is nothing he can do to change the fact that I love you. You are the most important person in the world to me, and nothing could ever change that.”

“I love you, too, Felix,” she replied. “And we are going to make this right.”

Tamora leaned down and pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. Their moment was cut short as footsteps approached from the other room.

“They’re coming,” Felix said. “You have to go, now.”

She nodded and stood to leave. Hurrying around the corner, she managed to escape just before Turbo and his partner arrived. As she headed for Game Central Station, a plan was already forming in her mind. With a newfound confidence, she walked straight into Fix-It Felix, Jr., determined to make things right. 

However, she couldn’t ignore the fear that began to brew in the pit of her stomach. She had to give Turbo credit for creating a situation that was worse than any nightmare she had ever suffered; he knew exactly how to get to her. But Turbo didn’t know about all the support Felix had given her throughout their marriage. He had no clue how much stronger she had become thanks to the love of her husband. So, while it scared her, she knew that she was prepared to face the nightmare that awaited her, and the man who completed the picture:

Dr. Brad Scott.


	2. Chapter 2

“I don’t know what she sees in you.”

“I used to wonder that, myself.”

Felix glanced up and met the gaze of Dr. Brad Scott, who stood towering before him. Turbo had gone out, leaving Brad to keep an eye on their prisoner, and he couldn’t resist the temptation to size up his rival for Tamora’s affection.

“Used to?” Brad asked.

“When we first started dating, I thought maybe she just felt sorry for me,” Felix replied. “I know we don’t look like your average couple. Even once things became more serious between us, I was insecure about it.”

“What changed?” Brad asked. “Because you definitely still look ridiculous standing next to her.”

“Well, at a certain point I realized that it wasn’t all about appearances. You know as well as I do that she’s beautiful, but that’s not what made me fall in love with her,” Felix answered. “What we have goes much deeper than that. Now, I barely even notice our difference in height.”

Brad gave an unimpressed “hmph” in response.

“You want her back, don’t you?” Felix asked. “That’s why you brought me here, so you can get rid of me.”

“That’s right.”

“Have you thought about how she might react to that?” he asked. “I can’t imagine she would be happy about it.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’ll move on,” Brad responded. “Soon, she’ll forget you ever existed.”

“That’s not true,” Felix said. He spoke calmly, taking the larger man by surprise. 

“What, you think she’ll spend the rest of her life hung up on you?” Brad shot back angrily. “She seemed to get over me just fine. She can do it again.”

“She didn’t just get over you. Sure, now it probably seems like she’s unaffected by everything that happened in the past, but it’s taken years for her to get to this point. And she still has bad days,” Felix explained. “She may have decided to step out of that dark place, but she never forgot about you.”

“How would you know?”

“I’ve spent the last seven years helping her through those hard times,” he answered. “Every rough day, every nightmare, every time I unknowingly triggered a bad memory, I was the one who supported her.”

“She still thinks about me?”

“Every day.”

Brad smiled to himself.

“Do you really want to put her through all that again?” Felix asked. “She spent a long time under the shadows, and she finally came out on the other side. Don’t you want her to be happy?”

“She was happy with _me_ long before you came into the picture,” Brad said. “She might not like it at first, but she’ll learn to love me again.”

“That sounds pretty selfish,” Felix commented. “I thought you loved her.”

“I do,” Brad replied. “I love her in a way you’ll never understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand it,” Felix said. “Because real love is all about putting someone else first. I would do anything to make sure Tamora is safe and happy.”

“And what if she told you she wanted to get back together with me?” Brad asked, his tone smug. “Are you really telling me you’d just let her go?”

“I would be devastated, of course I would,” Felix answered. “We’ve spent years building a life together and I wouldn’t even know how to go on without her. But it wouldn’t be fair of me to try and force her to stay.”

“You’re a fool,” Brad said. “Once I get my hands on her, I’m never letting go.”

“Even if you knew she wasn’t happy? Is that really what you want?” Felix asked. 

“I want her back,” Brad answered seriously. “I don’t care how I have to do it.”

“That’s not love,” Felix said.

“How dare you?” Brad snarled, grabbing Felix by the front of his shirt. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Hey!” a voice that both men recognized echoed from around the corner.

Tamora sauntered into the room with a hand on her hip. She pointed at Brad.

“Hands off my husband,” she said.

“Tammy,” Felix breathed.

Brad released his grip on Felix, his gaze focused on Tamora. He was stunned by her presence, unable to take his eyes off her as he stood up straight before her. 

“It’s you,” he said softly.

Felix watched with bated breath as Tamora met Brad’s gaze for the first time. He didn’t know how she would react, and he couldn’t hide his worry. He was going to have a long night of comforting her ahead of him if they made it out of this alive. She turned away from Brad, kneeling down in front of Felix.

“Are you alright?” she asked, brushing her fingers through his bangs. He relished her touch, and wished more than anything that he could embrace her.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” he replied.

Despite the circumstances, Tamora cracked a small smile that Felix couldn’t help but return. Brad was fuming as he witnessed the exchange. He grabbed Tamora by the arm and yanked her to her feet.

“What’s your problem?” Tamora grunted as she attempted to pull herself free from his grasp.

“Don’t you even care that I’m here? Tamora, it’s me,” Brad said, sounding more desperate with every word out of his mouth. “It’s Brad.”

“No,” she said, her tone cold. “You are not him.”

“Don’t you remember?” he asked. “You’re my dynamite gal.”

Felix winced as Brad said those three words that he knew from experience would cause her pain. But instead of shutting down, she fought back even harder as the words left his mouth. She looked straight into Brad’s eyes as she spoke again. 

“I will _never_ be your dynamite gal.”

Pride swelled in Felix’s chest; in all the years he had known her, through all the progress she had made, he had never heard her say those words. It had always been too painful, but now, with Felix’s life on the line, she tapped into a deeper strength than she even knew she possessed. The moment was short-lived, however, as Brad shoved her into the wall, holding her arm against her back. 

“Brad, stop!” Felix cried.

“This is how a real man fights for the woman he loves,” Brad said, oblivious to the pain he was causing Tamora.

“You have to stop, you’re hurting her!” 

In an instant, Brad let go, and Tamora sank down to a seated position on the floor. He was horrified when he realized what he’d done; he had been so blinded by rage that he had lost control of himself. Tamora clutched her wrist, groaning in pain.

“I didn’t mean to,” Brad muttered. “It was an accident.”

“Tammy, are you okay?” Felix asked.

“It’s broken,” Tamora replied, her voice strained.

“Oh, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen,” Brad murmured. “I just wanted you to be with me, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, you did,” Tamora spat. “Do you really think I would want to go with you after this?”

“Don’t be mad at me,” Brad pleaded. His demeanor had changed completely; Felix hardly recognized the whimpering man who stood before him now. “I just want you back. I want what we had.”

“What we had?” Tamora asked. “We never had anything. It wasn’t real.”

“Don’t say that,” Brad said, his hands balling into fists.

“You think you can just waltz back into my life and carry on like nothing happened? I’ve moved on. You should do the same.”

“No,” he said, his breathing shallow. “No!”

He reared back and slammed his fist into the wall above Tamora’s head, sending scattered pieces of brick falling to the floor.

“Let’s all calm down,” Felix said in the hopes of de-escalating the situation. “Brad, Tamora is hurt. My hammer can fix it, but it’ll only work for me. If you let me out of these chains, I can help her.”

“No,” Brad said. “You’re trying to trick me. You just want to escape.”

“Listen to me,” Felix said. “Remember what I said before? I would do anything to make sure Tamora is safe and happy. Right now, she’s not safe. I just want to fix that.”

“If I let you out, you’re just going to try and take her away from me,” Brad said. “I can’t let that happen.”

“What if I promise to stay?” Tamora asked. “Let Felix go, and I’ll stay with you.”

“Tammy, no,” Felix objected.

“It’s okay, Felix,” she said. “What do you say, Brad? Do we have a deal?”

“You promise this isn’t a trick?” he asked.

“I promise,” she answered.

They locked eyes as he searched for any signs of hesitation or deception in her gaze. When he found none, he replied.

“Deal.”

“Tammy, please don’t do this,” Felix begged her. “I know why you’re doing this, but there has to be another way.”

“There is no other way, Felix,” she said. “This is how it has to be.”

Brad leaned down to release Felix from his bindings. 

“No funny business or the deal’s off,” he said.

Felix rushed to Tamora’s side. His eyes were damp with unshed tears, and he saw the sadness that was hidden in the depths of her eyes as she faced him.

“You don’t have to do this. I’ll be alright,” Felix said.

“No, you have to go,” Tamora replied. “Trust me like I trusted you.”

His eyes widened as he grasped the meaning of her words.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked. “After what he did to you, I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here with him.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “There’s a pie in the fridge. Ask Ralph about it.”

Felix gasped; the phrase seemed to be completely out of context, but he recognized those words right away. When they first started dating, she had insisted on establishing a few code phrases in case a situation like this arose. He had thought it to be a bit over-the-top at the time, but now he couldn’t be more grateful. With those words, she was telling him that she had a plan.

“I will,” he said.

Pulling his hammer from its holster, he gently reached for her hand. With a quick tap, her wrist was healed.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“Anything for you,” he replied, holding her gaze. He knew he needed to trust her, but the thought of leaving her behind with Brad made his stomach churn.

“Alright, time to head out,” Brad said.

“Could I have a minute to say goodbye?” Felix asked. 

Brad stalled before answering. He didn’t want to give Felix any chances to try and pull one over on him.

“Please,” Felix said. “I’m never going to see her again.”

“Fine,” Brad begrudgingly conceded to his request. 

Tamora sat up on her knees and Felix wrapped his arms around her neck in a tight hug. She returned the embrace, burying her face in his hair. 

“Please be safe,” Felix spoke softly in her ear. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you.”

“I will,” she replied. “Don’t come charging back in here to try and save me. Go home and talk to Ralph about the pie.”

“I will,” he responded.

He tightened his hold on her, fearing the future that was ahead of him once he let go. There was so much more he wanted to say to her, but he knew there would be repercussions with Brad listening in. Suddenly, he felt Tamora squeeze him tighter, _one, two, three_ times. The gesture brought tears to his eyes--another secret message between them, a way for Tamora to tell him she loved him without words. Felix repeated the action in kind and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Always,” he whispered.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Brad interrupted. “Time to go.”

They hesitated to let go of one another, but after another short moment they finally managed to wrench themselves apart. Brad ushered Felix toward the exit and he followed, knowing how important it was to find Ralph and find out what they had planned. Before leaving, he turned back and locked eyes with Tamora. He hoped she could see in his expression his determination to follow through for her.

No matter what, he would be back to rescue her.


	3. Chapter 3

Felix ran back to Game Central Station, making a beeline for his game. On his way out, he learned that the game he had been trapped in all that time was Hero’s Duty. It brought him some comfort to know that Brad couldn’t fatally harm Tamora since she was in her own game, but that didn’t lessen his haste to get her away from him as soon as possible. He found Ralph walking out of the outlet for Sugar Rush and hurried after him.

“Ralph!” he called out.

“Felix!” he replied. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Felix answered, brushing off his friend’s concern. “But we need to get Tamora out of there as soon as possible. What’s the plan?”

“We have to go back to Hero’s Duty,” Ralph replied. “Turbo wrote himself into the code there. If we can destroy the code, he’ll be gone for good.”

“What about Brad?” Felix asked.

“His code is intertwined with Turbo’s,” Ralph explained. “It’s impossible for one of us to create a whole new character that wasn’t written into the code. Only a game’s creator can do that. Turbo must have split off a piece of his code and taken the rest from Hero’s Duty.”

“Are you sure?” Felix asked.

“We spent hours talking to Sour Bill,” Ralph said. “He knows more about this stuff than anybody.”

“Alright,” Felix said. “So how do we get into the code room?”

“I don’t know,” Ralph admitted. “If Turbo hasn’t gotten to the soldiers, we’ll need to ask one of them to show us.”

“Let’s head to Tapper’s,” Felix suggested. “If Turbo’s tried to brainwash Tamora’s soldiers, he probably wouldn’t think to look there.”

“Lead the way.”

As the pair entered the bar, Felix spotted Tamora’s most trusted soldier, Kohut, leaning against the bartop. He quickly approached the muscular man.

“Kohut,” he said.

“Hey, Felix,” Kohut replied, clearly in the beginning stages of intoxication. “What’s up?”

“We need your help.”

“No can do, buddy,” Kohut said, his speech slightly slurred.

“Come on, this is serious,” Ralph interjected.

“I’m serious, too,” Kohut said.

“Kohut, please, it’s about Tamora,” Felix pleaded.

“What, havin’ lady troubles, little man?” Kohut said with a chuckle.

“Listen to me!” Felix said, hopping onto the counter to be at eye-level with him. “Turbo is back and he rebuilt Brad Scott out of his own code and they kidnapped me but Tamora stayed behind so they would let me go and now she’s trapped in some creepy dungeon with a half-brained clone of her ex-fiancee. Show us the code room in Hero’s Duty or she’ll be stuck there for who knows how long.”

This seemed to shake Kohut out of his slightly buzzed state. He stood from his barstool and dropped a few coins on the bar to pay for his drink before turning back to Felix and Ralph.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Deep in the underground of Hero’s Duty, Tamora was hogtied on the floor. Turbo had returned to find Felix gone, and he was furious with Brad for letting such a crucial part of their plan walk out the door. 

“How could you do this?” Turbo asked, pacing the floor and waving his arms dramatically as he spoke. “The plan only works with both of them here. We’re no closer to the glitch than we were before.”

“I’m sorry,” Brad said, his head down in shame.

Tamora watched, curious about what Turbo could have done to manipulate Brad this way. He was probably four times Turbo’s size, and yet he was cowering before the minuscule racer. 

“‘Sorry’ doesn’t help us now,” Turbo said. “Come with me while I figure out how to fix the mess you’ve created.”

Brad sulked as he followed behind Turbo into the next room, leaving Tamora alone. Soon, she heard footsteps as Felix crept back in. He tiptoed over to her as quickly as possible and began working on the knots in which she had been tied up.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” he whispered.

“I’m fine,” she answered. “Did you bring it?”

“It’s right here,” he replied, patting one of the pockets on his toolbelt. Inside it was a radiant, blue cube containing the code that kept Turbo and Brad alive. Once it was destroyed, they would cease to exist.

He managed to untie the ropes from her wrists and Tamora sat up and helped Felix with the tight knot that bound her ankles together. The moment she was freed, the couple embraced, savoring the moment of tenderness before what would inevitably be a difficult encounter with Turbo and Brad. 

“Where’s Ralph?” she asked.

“Right outside with Kohut in case anyone tries to make a run for it,” he answered. “The rest of your troops are in Sugar Rush keeping Vanellope safe.”

“Good,” she said. “Let’s end this thing once and for all.”

She moved to stand, but Felix reached for her hands, prompting her to stay put. He looked into her eyes, unable to hide his concern.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked cautiously. “We could always have Ralph or Kohut come in instead.”

“I’ll be fine,” she answered.

“I know you will, I just…” he trailed off, moving one of his hands to cradle her cheek. “I know this whole ordeal has to be taking a toll on you. Don’t feel like you have to be here when his code is destroyed. I don’t want you to have to see that again.”

“It’s different this time,” she responded. “It may look like him, but that is not Brad.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” he asked. “I know you don’t need protecting and you hate being coddled, but I know how difficult this is for you. I hate to see you hurting.”

“I’m sure, Felix,” she said softly. “Yes, this is hard. This situation has dug into my old wounds in a way that I never expected, but I’m strong enough to get through it. I got that strength from you.”

“Oh, Tammy,” he sniffled, overcome with emotion at her admission. She wasn’t often this open about her feelings, and it affected him deeply every time. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” she said. “Now, let’s exterminate these creeps.”

“How sweet,” came a voice from the other side of the room. The couple turned to see Turbo emerging from the adjoining room with Brad in tow. “Please, don’t let us interrupt the moment. Especially since it’ll be your last.”

“I’d be careful if I were you,” Tamora said as she stood up from the floor.

“And why is that? Think you’re a match for Dr. Scott? I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Turbo snickered.

“Because we have something that can erase the both of you from existence,” Felix said.

“The code,” Turbo whispered, overcome with dread. 

Felix reached into his toolbelt and procured the glowing cube. Tamora gave him a small nudge to encourage him to destroy it before the situation could escalate any further. He paused to look up at her, silently asking her if she really wanted to witness this firsthand. She nodded, and he held her gaze for a moment, searching for any signs of hesitation from her. When he found none, he took a deep breath and raised his arm so that he could throw the code onto the ground. Something collided with his arm, and before he realized what was happening, Turbo had him pinned on the floor and the code had skittered across the room. 

Tamora glanced back and forth between her husband and the luminous block on the opposite side of the room. Felix saw her inability to decide between saving him and destroying the code and spoke up as he fought against Turbo.

“Don’t worry about me,” he grunted as he struggled against the racer. “Get the code.”

She ran for it, planning to stomp down on it and crush it under the weight of her boot. Before she could reach it, Brad swooped in and grabbed it off the floor, using his free hand to grab her by the arm and press her back against the wall.

“Tammy!” Felix called out.

He shoved Turbo off of him, the sight of Tamora in distress giving him a newfound strength. In mere seconds he had crossed the room, running straight up to Brad.

“Get your hands off my wife,” he said as he hopped up to Brad’s level and used his powerful legs to kick him in the jaw, sending him toppling to the floor.

Tamora wrenched her arm away as he fell and the code clattered to the ground. Turbo ran up from behind and tackled Felix, giving him no chance to fight back. She tried to intervene, but Brad grabbed her again and pulled her away from them.

“Let me go,” she ordered him. 

“Why do you care about him so much?” Brad asked, frustration seeping through his voice. “Turbo told me how badly he treats you. He said we’d be doing you a favor by getting rid of him.”

“Turbo is lying to you,” she said. “Felix is a good man. He takes good care of me, and he loves me more than anything.”

“No,” he muttered under his breath.

“You can try to kill him, but I will do everything in my power to stop it,” she said. “And if you succeed, I will never forgive you. If you let me destroy that code, Turbo will disappear forever. You won’t have to listen to his lies anymore.”

Brad released his hold on her and bent down to pick up the block of code that lay at his feet. 

“And tell him what happens to _him_ when that code goes away,” Turbo interjected, a smug smile on his face. “Or did you forget that Brad disappears with it?”

“Is that true?” Brad asked, locking eyes with Tamora. She nodded sadly.

“That’s right, Scotty boy, you and I are one and the same. You’re nothing without me,” Turbo said. 

“Turbo has done terrible things to this arcade, and he’ll continue if we don’t stop him,” Tamora said in an attempt to reason with Brad. “The glitch he’s after is just a little girl. If we let him go, he will kill her.”

Brad looked at the code, and then at Tamora. Just when it seemed as though he was going to hand it over to her, Turbo spoke up again.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said. “If she gets her hands on that code, her little handyman goes bye-bye.”

They turned to see that he had his hands wrapped around Felix’s throat. He tried to fight back, but he was quickly becoming dizzy and weak due to the lack of oxygen. Tamora felt her heart constrict in her chest as he struggled to breathe in Turbo’s tightening grip. She reached for her sidearm.

“Not so fast,” Turbo said, squeezing just a bit tighter. 

Tamora dropped the gun on the ground and took a step back.

“Good,” he smiled. “Now, Brad, I want you to bring me the code.”

Brad met Tamora’s gaze and saw the heartbreak behind her eyes.

“As for you,” Turbo continued, glancing pointedly at her, “if you make even one step toward that code, I will crush Mr. Fix-It’s windpipe. We wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“What happens after we give it to you?” she asked. “You let him go?”

“More or less,” Turbo replied. 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“He goes, you stay,” Turbo answered. “And if I ever catch the two of you together again, I won’t hesitate to make you watch him die.”

Tamora locked eyes with Felix, trying her best to stop her tears from spilling over onto her cheeks. No matter what choice she made, she would never be able to return to her life with him. She despised this feeling of complete helplessness; she had always been the one in command. Felix wished he could reassure her that everything would be alright, but even he couldn’t muster the optimism to believe it. A terrible choking sound escaped his throat as Turbo’s grip tightened.

“I’d hurry up and make a decision if I were you,” Turbo said.

She took a step back toward Brad. Felix saw the defeated look of acceptance in her eyes and knew what she was about to do.

“No,” he tried to say, but the word came out on a strangled wheeze.

Their eyes met and he made a desperate attempt to communicate with her without words. He knew that she was about to give up her life, her happiness, to save him, but he could never go back to his life knowing she was stuck here forever. Tamora faced a similar dilemma: she knew that Felix was willing to die if it meant her safety and the safety of the arcade, but she would never forgive herself if she didn’t save him. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered before turning away from him.

She faced Brad once more.

“Go ahead,” she said.

Brad hesitated. He had witnessed the exchange, and he saw how much they were willing to sacrifice for one another. As he saw the sadness in Tamora’s eyes, he knew what he had to do.

“You love him, don’t you?” he asked.

“I do.”

“And you’re happy with him?”

“Yes.”

Brad gave a nod of grim acceptance.

“I’m sorry we did this to you,” he said.

And then, before anyone could stop it, he crushed the code within his grip.

“You fool! What are you doing?!” Turbo shouted as he slowly faded into oblivion.

Felix fell to the ground as Turbo disappeared, and he coughed and sputtered as he fought to catch his breath. Tamora ran to him, cradling her head in his hands. She took his hammer and placed it in his hand, and together they tapped it against his neck. He gasped as the damage to his throat was undone and he could breath freely once more. The last thing Brad saw before dissolving into thin air was the couple sharing an emotional embrace, and he knew he had made the right choice. This was the only way Tamora could ever truly be happy, and he had learned that loving someone was all about putting their happiness first. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate, knowing that he was leaving her in good hands.

"Thank you," Tamora said, meeting his eyes before he disappeared forever. Brad smiled.

“Goodbye, Tamora.”


End file.
